-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- These quirky museums , theme parks and circus acts feed our collective cat obsession .

Stephanie Harwin , who writes the cat-obsessed blog Catsparella , will go to great lengths to get her feline fix . On her quest to fulfill a lifelong dream , visiting Japan 's Hello Kitty theme park , Harwin endured a bout of severe food poisoning , a language barrier and a long journey to reach her happy place .

Japan is the ultimate travel destination for cat enthusiasts and Hello Kitty is just the beginning . Tokyo has become famous for its cat cafés , where you can hang out with the furry creatures , and each February brings the celebration of `` Nyan Nyan Nyan Day '' -LRB- a name inspired by the sound cats make -RRB- .

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While the Japanese have the highest per capita cat ownership in the world , there are people crazy for cats everywhere . London 's Zoological Society even created a global cat map that allows you to plot the location of your own pet and upload its photo . All this cat love has resulted in some strangely charming places where travelers can stop to pay tribute .

These vacation ideas are the cat 's meow .

Cat Cafés , Tokyo

Japan 's obsession with all things feline is well documented . After all , this is the homeland of YouTube star Maru , a Scottish fold whose antics have amassed more than 200 million views . Tokyo itself counts more than a hundred `` neko '' or cat cafés , where patrons come to sip lattes and socialize with numerous cats , who lounge around on chairs , sofas , baskets and occasionally the laps of their human fans . Some of the more popular : Shimokitazawa 's Cateriam , Nekobukuro in Ikebukuro , Curl Up Café in Haramachi , and Nyafe Melange . There 's even a handy map to locate them .

Festival of the Cats , Ypres , Belgium

The Kattenstoet -LRB- Festival of the Cats -RRB- is held every three years on the second Sunday of May ; the next is scheduled for 2015 . It celebrates the noble feline with a street parade of floats , music , stilt walkers and costumed townsfolk , many of whom dress as cats , witches or mice . The festival culminates with a performance in which a jester tosses children 's toy cats from the Cloth Hall belfry down to the crowd -- a tradition that harks back to the harsh Middle Ages practice of throwing actual cats from the belfry in the spring . -LRB- Not to worry : no kitties are harmed in the modern reenactments . -RRB-

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Ernest Hemingway Home and Museum , Key West , Florida

Cat fanatics who are also Hemingway fans will find nirvana at the writer 's former Key West home . The grand , plantation-style limestone house is the domain of around 50 cats descended from Papa 's original Maine coon , Snowball , who was given to him by a ship 's captain . The cats are polydactyl -LRB- six-toed -RRB- , which lends them their distinctive appearance -- some say it looks like the cats are wearing mittens . Hemingway named many of his cats after famous people , and the estate carries on the tradition today ; look for Lionel Barrymore and Hairy Truman .

Moscow Cats Theatre

This second-generation Russian theater , founded by Yuri Kuklachev and his son Dmitri in 1990 , performs in Moscow when the troupe -- which includes around 120 cats -- is n't touring the world . Shows feature a revolving series of madcap acts with names like Catnappers , Cat Clowns and Love , and Cats from the Universe . Expect to see the Kuklachevs ' furry stars performing stunts : walking a tightrope , teetering on a rocking horse and posing on top of a mirror ball .

Kuching Cat Museum , Malaysia

Cats are considered lucky in Malaysia , as in many Asian cultures , and the Kuching Cat Museum in Sarawak pays respectful , if slightly wacky , homage to these fortune-bestowing felines . For starters , you enter the UFO-style building through a giant cat face . Inside await exhibitions , artifacts , artworks and ephemera dedicated to cats . The pièce de résistance : a 1,000-year-old mummified Egyptian kitty . The museum is on a hill , with great views of the city of Kuching , which translates as `` cat city . ''

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The Supreme Cat Show , Birmingham , UK

At the UK 's largest and most prestigious cat show , held each November at the National Exhibition Centre near Birmingham , you can watch cats relax in their pens and be judged in the ring , and browse for every cat product imaginable at an array of stands . Each cat gets a large double pen , decorated by its owner with brightly colored drapes or more creative trappings based on a given theme . In 2012 , it was `` Diamonds are forever . ''

Torre Argentina Cat Sanctuary , Rome

The mission of this sanctuary is to `` work together to raise the quality of life of Rome 's abandoned cats '' -- and it welcomes volunteers . Expect to perform duties such as cleaning cages and distributing food to some of the 300-odd cat residents ; if you 're living in Rome you can volunteer as a `` foster parent '' for young kittens in your own home . The site , which contains ancient ruins , has a glamorous pedigree : while filming at the nearby Teatro Argentina , Italian actress Anna Magnani famously spent her breaks here feeding the cats .

Dominique and His Flying House Cats , Key West , Florida

Dominique LeFort is one of the more idiosyncratic locals -- and in Margaritaville , that 's really saying something . The performer and his troupe of trained house cats entertain regularly at Sunset Celebration , a nightly arts festival at Mallory Square Dock . The shaggy-haired Frenchman ushers his nonchalant cats across tightropes and through flaming hoops , all while keeping up a madcap banter with the audience -LRB- including his catchphrase , `` Clap , clap , clap ! '' -RRB- , a shtick that has earned the act a cult following .

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Poezenboot , Amsterdam , the Netherlands

Cats and water do n't usually mix well , yet this floating cat sanctuary on Amsterdam 's Herengracht canal has proven a grand success . Founded in 1966 by a local legend named Henriette van Weelde -- who took in stray cats and eventually moved them onto a houseboat in the canal -- the floating barge has become a tourist attraction , drawing cat lovers and the curious alike . Visitors can volunteer , donate or adopt .

Hello Kitty theme park , Tokyo

A pilgrimage to Tokyo 's Hello Kitty theme park , known officially as Sanrio Puroland , is a must for fans of the cult cat character -LRB- a Japanese white bobtail -RRB- . The park attracts 1.5 million annual visitors of all ages , who come from far and wide to watch Hello Kitty-themed musicals , take a spin on cat-tastic rides and visit Hello Kitty 's house , which features portraits of the famous cat 's family and a bathtub shaped like her face . There 's also a boat ride in which another Sanrio character , Cinnamoroll , leads visitors on a trip to Hello Kitty 's party .

See More Places for Cat Lovers at Travel + Leisure .

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Copyright 2012 American Express Publishing Corporation . All rights reserved .

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Cat fans who love Hemingway should visit his Key West home

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Head to Tokyo to play with real cats at cat cafes or visit the city 's Hello Kitty theme park

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A floating cat sanctuary in Amsterdam welcomes visitors and potential cat parents